Steel Rose
by SoraTheSkyDragonSlayer
Summary: A young wizard named Manami Takara is rescued by a mysterious Fairy Tail member, who then convinces her to join Fairy Tail. The story centers around her adventures as a Fairy Tail mage, and contains mentions of NaLu, GrUvia, GaLe, RoWen, FreMi, and a few OCxOC. There may be other parings as well. HIATUS
1. Steel Make

**Chapter 1: Steel Make**

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**Disclaimer****: I don't own Fairy Tail or NaLu would already be a thing ^^**

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I glanced over my shoulder, searching wildly for my pursuer.

"Come on out, Girlie."

A hulking man with dirty green hair and crazed yellow eyes slunk into the allyway.

"G-get lost creep!"

"Awe, come on Sugar- let's have some fun, hu?"

"I mean it!" I squeaked.

The man ignored my protests and strode clover. I continued to back up until my back his the hard brick wall behind me.

"Back off!"

This new voice floated down from the rooftop.

"Hu?" Creepy guy looked up.

I followed the direction of his gaze to the silhouette of someone standing above us on the roof of a shop.

Creepy seemed to regain his senses.

"Hey man, this is my score!"

The figure jumped down and landed between us.

"Your score?" he demanded, "this is a lady. A person. She is not an item to be taken!"

The man who had come to my defense was tall and lean, with lithe, powerful, muscle. He had shaggy silver hair and sharp, intelligent green eyes. He wore a white coat with a high caller over a plain black dress shirt, a pair of loose grey slacks, and black combat boots.

"Oh yeah, what 'cha gonna do about it, punk?" Creepy sneered.

The man rolled up his left sleeve to reveal a dark green Fairy Tail mark.

"No way" I whispered.

Everyone knows about Fairy Tail, the top magical guild in Fiore. Along with their destructive and violent ways.

Creepy froze, "Y-your one of those?!"

The silver haired guy smirked, "Still want to play?"

Creepy hesitated, "I-I think someone's calling-"

Before Creepy could run the guy's eyes flashed and he spoke softly. As the words left the guy's mouth a purple magic circle appeared underneath Creepy. Then, a steel cage sprung up around him.

"The authorities will be here for you soon, Arashi. Enjoy."

Then he turned to leave.

"Wait!"

I reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

The guy turned to face me and quirked an eyebrow.

"T-thank you for saving me. What's your name?"

"Don't worry about it," he smiled, "I'm Kiyoshi Daisuke. I've been chasing this guy for two days, so you actually helped me out."

I smiled up at the green eyed boy, who towered at least two heads over me me.

"Thank you anyway, Kiyoshi."

He shook his head, "Your welcome. What's your name?"

"I'm Manami, Manami Takara."

"Nice to meet you, Manami." Kiyoshi smiled.

"So your from Fairy Tail, hu? That must be pretty amazing... I've always wanted to join a guild."

"Really?" Kiyoshi seemed surprised, "then why haven't you?"

I laughed bitterly, "I'm to weak."

"Oh come on, what kind of magic do you use?"

"A variation of Solid Script."

"Then you shouldn't call yourself weak. Anyone can be strong with hard work! Surly if you know about Fairy Tail, then you know about Levy Redfox?"

"Yeah," I blushed and looked away, "she was my inspiration..."

"Then come on!" Kiyoshi exclaimed.

"W-what?"

"You said you wanted to join a guild, why not Fairy Tail?"

"I-I don't know..."

"You'll have loads of fun, I promise!"

"Alright."

"Yes!" Kiyoshi fist pumped.

* * *

The next thing I knew, we were on the next train to Magnolia. We settled in, and for a little while, I just watched the scenery flash by. Good bye Clover...

"So tell me about yourself."

I looked at Kiyoshi in surprise.

"Well- my parents both died when I was nine, so I learned Living Script to survive. Over the years I've held small jobs here and there, just trying to make it."

"Tell me about your- Living Script."

I smiled, "Living Script is a variation of Solid Script. It is similar, in the sense that the caster draws words in the air. The difference, however, is that my words come to life. Yes Solid Script becomes what is spelled, but my magic gains a mind of it's own."

Then I flicked my hand, a small green magic circle appearing at the end of my finger tips.

"Living Script: Dog"

The word dog popped into the air above us, with brown shaggy fur, and the tail of the G wiggling like a dog's tail.

"Wow."

I smiled proudly, "What about you?"

"I use Maker Magic- Steel Make precisely."

My eyes lit up, "Cool!"

Kiyoshi simply shrugged modestly.

"Make me something, please?"

"Alright." Kiyoshi chuckled.

The silver haired mage's purple magic lit up his closed fist, then he spoke softly.

"Steel Make: Flower."

Kiyoshi opened his hand to reveal a tiny, delicate, but still thorny, steel rose.

I gasped, "It's beautiful!"

Kiyoshi shrugged again, but smiled happily.

I took the rose and slipped it into my purse.

Then the announcer's voice crackled over the sound system, "Attention passengers, we have arrived at Magnolia Station."

"Alright!" Kiyoshi jumped up, "this is our stop."

I followed him out and onto the busy streets of Magnolia. There were people everywhere, they milled around in shops, sat at outdoor cafes, and walked along the streets. Kiyoshi led me past Kardia Cathedral and to the gates of Fairy Tail. As we walked through them, I felt my excitement rise with every step. We entered the large brick building, and I took a look around. There was a long bar along one wall, and a huge stage encompassing another. The center of the room was taken up by tables, and the whole room was filled with people.

"Hey, Kiyoshi's back!" someone yelled.

A chorus of greetings came from every corner of the room.

"Wow, your pretty popular, hu?" I mused, wondering if anyone would ever be so happy to see me return safely.

Kiyoshi chuckled, "everyone here is family."

"Hey, who's that with Kiyoshi?"

"Is she new?"

"Wow, she's gorgeous!"

"Look at that hair!"

Kiyoshi smiled, "See, soon everyone will know your name too."

I smiled up at him, "thank you, Kiyoshi."

"Oh- uh..? Your welcome?"

Then, a beautiful girl with long white hair walked over.

"Hello there."

My jaw dropped.

"Mirajane, oh wow! your so much prettier in person!"

"Thank you," Mirajane smiled, "are you here to join Fairy Tail?"

"You bet she is!" Kiyoshi exclaimed.

"Oh, hey Yoshi," Mirajane turned to the Steel Mage, "how was your quest?"

"eh," Kiyoshi waved a hand, "it was easy."

Mira smiled, "you always say that, Yoshi. You know, mabey it's time to form a team. You've been doing solo missions for years now."

"I don't know Mira-" he looked away.

"Alright," Mira smiled encouragingly, "take your time."

Then the transformation mage turned to me, "now, what's your name?"

"Manami Takara."

"That's a lovely name, follow me!"

Mira led me over to the bar. Once we arrived she pulled out the Fairy Tail emblem stamp.

"How do you want it?"

I'd never thought of that... how DO I want it? What color?.. where should it be?... um...

"Teal, on my left wrist, please."

"Good choice!" Mirajane smiled and placed the mark on my upturned arm.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Manami!"

I ginned, "wow, thanks Mirajane!"

The woman smiled, "your welcome."

Suddenly, a roar sounded through the guild hall.

"Grey! Show yourself popsicle brain!"

The noise came from none other than Natsu Dragneel.

"What's your problem, lava breath?"

Natsu roared again and hurled himself at the ice mage.

"Ug," a blonde woman face palmed, "they really haven't matured in the last six years, have they?"

"Oh come on Lucy," Mirajane laughed, "if you really minded you wouldn't have married him."

Lucy blushed lightly and looked down at a small pink haired boy clinging to her leg.

I grinned, how adorable!

About that time, a table flew straight over my head, towards Levy. The blue haired woman stood still, staring at the incoming object. Gajeel appeared from no where and smashed the table with his iron fist.

"Watch it you idiots!" he growled, staring at the two men with his menacing red eyes.

Levy looked away, her face screaming embarrassment, and subconsciously placing a hand on her swollen stomach.

Both Natsu and Grey froze.

"Sorry man, sorry Levy."

Maybe being parents had changed them after all, just a little. I turned and watched Grey's twins play for a moment. Juvia sat nearby, keeping a close eye on the bother and sister.

My attention wandered, and I noticed a few people around my age. I wandered over, curious about how this would go, and where Kiyoshi had run off to.

"Hi, I'm Wendy"

The speaker was a girl around nineteen, with long blue hair.

I smiled, "Hello. It's amazing here... I never thought I'd meet so many famous wizards."

Wendy smiled, "you'll get used to it. This is Romeo and Nexus, we're the team called Flying Dagger."

"Nice to meet you all."

Romeo, a young man with black hair simply nodded, however, his blonde counterpart began to speak rapidly.

"Hi there! It's nice to meet you too! What's your name? Where did you come from? What made you decide to join the guild?"

I laughed lightly, "My name is Manami, and I'm from Clover. Kiyoshi recruited me after he saved me from a thug. If you don't mind my asking, how did you join the guild, Nexus?"

The blonde shrugged, "my parents left me at Kardia Cathedral. After a few years I showed promise in magic, so they suggested I join Fairy Tail, and here I am."

"T-that's nice?"

Nexus shrugged again, "it doesn't bother me anymore."

"Hey, I know!" Wendy burst out suddenly, "we were about to go out on a job, want to come with us?"

"Really?"

Did Wendy Marvell just ask me to go on a quest with her?!

"Yeah," she shrugged, "I get kinda lonely for girl company on missions when it's just me and these two knuckle heads."

"W-what kind of job?" I asked hesitantly.

"We're going to beat up a monster!" Nexus exclaimed excitedly.

"I don't know if I'll be much hel-"

"Oh come on! It'll be great!" Nexus coaxed.

"Well- I guess, alright then! I'll go!"

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**Well, I'm trying something new here. I hope you like it! This is my fist fic for Fairy Tail, so I hope it's not to horrible.**

**~Sora~**


	2. Room Mates

**Chapter 2: Room Mates**

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**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and it's characters are not mine ^^**

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I followed Wendy, Romeo, and Nexus to the train station.

"So apparently a Vulcan has been terrorizing Onibus." Wendy explained once we'd taken our seats.

"Shoulden;t be to difficult." Romeo mused.

Nexus nodded, "Didn't your father defeat nineteen Vulcans in his day, Romeo?"

"Yeah." the dark haired teen smiled proudly.

I smiled to myself at the three mage's team relationship.

"Oh, hey guys."

I looked up to see Kiyoshi standing awkwardly in the isle.

"Hey." I smiled encouragingly.

"Uh- fancy meeting you here-? mind if I sit?"

I quircked an eyebrow, "I thought you work alone?"

"Yeah- well- I'm allowed to hang out with my guild mates aren't I?"

"Uh, sure? Have a seat Kiyoshi." Wendy stuttered.

The blunt looked unsure what to do. Romeo kept his expression neutral, but I thought I was a brief flicker of confusion in his eyes. Nexus, however, being his usual self, immediately began chattering.

As Kiyoshi awkwardly sat down beside me, Nexus talked a mile a minuet.

"Where are you headed, bud?"

"Oh- I- I'm going to Onibus."

"Really!" Nexus perked up, "that's where our job is!"

"I know," Kiyoshi looked away, "Mira told me."

This brought on an uncomfortable silence as Nexus pondered this.

"So- uh-," I broke the silence uneasily, "what sort of magic do you use, Nexus?"

"I use High Speed magic like Jet!" he replied eagerly, "it's really fun, especially when I'm fighting someone, and they just, like, miss and miss and miss!"

I laughed lightly at the blonde's enthusiasm, I should have guessed. Nexus' antics seamed to help quite a bit, I could see both Wendy and Romeo visibly relax. However, Kiyoshi still looked tence.

"What about you?"

Nexus' question fought me a bit off guard, but Kiyoshi jumped in for me.

"Living Script! It's so cool! Her magic is like Levy's, but, not!"

"Would you mind shooing us?" Wendy asked brightly.

"No problem?" I smiled.

"Living Script: Cat."

The letters popped into the air with soft, calico fur. The C stretched itself open in a lazy yahn.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Wendy grinned.

Romeo even smiled, "That's pretty impressive."

I cheered inwardly, "thank you both so much!"

I glanced at Nexus, who was entranced with the cat, staring at it closely. After a moment cat got tired of having a dopey looking blonde it it's face. It bit Nexus on the nose, then disappeared in a puff of magic.

"Yeesh!" Nexus jumped back, "that is the most- amazing- cool- unbelievable- thing I've ever seen!"

After that we were all much more relaxed, and spent the rest of the train ride making small talk.

We got off the train in Onibus, and were greeted by crushed buildings and broken glass.

"Woah, this place is a mess." Romro muttered, "are you sure we haven't already sent a team here?"

"Good luck," Kiyoshi chuckled, "I've got to go do my own request now. I'll see you later."

"Bye." we all chorused.

I felt a strange pang of loneliness as he walked away. Weird. After Kiyoshi disappeared into the rubble, Nexus stepped forward.

"I'll go find the beast."

A yellow magic circle appeared underneath him, then the blonde disappeared in a flash of light. He returned a few moments later, and he hadn't even broken a sweat.

"It's in a clothing shop, on main street."

"Alright," Wendy nodded, "let's get going."

"Okay everyone, grab on and I'll get us there in a flash!"

I glanced at the blonde nervously. Could he really carry all three of us? Tentatively, I reached out and placed a hand on Nexus' arm. Romeo and Wendy held hands, and Wendy put her right hand on Nexus' other arm.

With only the blink of an eye we found ourselves inside the demolished clothing shop. The merchandise was strewn everywhere and the mannequins were broken, leaving body parts laying comically around the floor.

A huge Vulcan stood in the middle of the destruction, waring a floppy woman's hat and a pair of sunglasses with the tag hanging on for dear life.

"Man, man, woman, woman!" the Vulcan chanted gruttaly.

"Uh, hello there." Wendy said nervously, "why are you breaking things, ?"

"Pretty! Like pretties!"

"Oh boy."

"Pretty woman!"

The giant ape grabbed Wendy around the waist and lifted her into the air.

"Gah!" she yelped.

Romeo immediately grew dark, waves of anger rolling off him.

"Jerk." he growled, his right hand enveloping in purple flame.

"Fire." the Vulcan took a single step back, while still holding onto poor Wendy, "fire bad."

"Let her go." Romeo growled.

"Pretty woman!" the Vulcan replied, then turned and ran.

"Wall!" I yelled.

The words 'brick wall' appeared in front of the Vulcan, who simply charged into it. Unfortunatly for him, my walls are known for their rubbery quality, and he ricocheted right back. The Vulcan growled in annoyance and tried to storm around the wall. However, thanks to my Living Script, the wall just slid in front of him.

"Um, guys, now would be a good time."

"Right."

Nexus grabed Wendy, using his High Speed magic, then reappeared at Romeo's side. The moment Wendy was safe Romeo shot the Vulcan with his purple flame. The Vulcan danced around, howling for a moment, then he disappeared into a burst of bright light. Left in his wake was an injured old man.

"What the-?"

"Vulcans absorb humans for their energy, they're like big paracites."

I turned around to see Kiyoshi standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?"

"My job was to track down a missing old man." he motioned to the unconscious victim.

"It seems like we keep accidentally helping each other."

I laughed lightly, "I guess."

"Come on," Wendy interjected, "let's go back to the guild."

The ride home was quiet, with both Wendy and Nexus sound asleep. The blunett lay, snoring softly, with her head on Romeo's shoulder. The mentioned black hairs teen stayed alert, keeping a close eye on the sleeping Wendy. Nexus snored loudly from Romeo's other side.

Kiyoshi and I shared the seat across from Flying Dagger.

I held my hands in my lap awkwardly, counting my breaths trying to calm down.

"Did you have a good time with Wendy and her team?"

I jumped, then smiled a little, "yeah, they're all great. They work together so well."

Kiyoshi smiled, "that's good. I intend to keep my promise to you."

"Wa-" then I remembered, when Kiyoshi had been convincing me to join, what he'd said...

We continued on in silence until the train arrived at Magnolia station.

Romeo woke Wendy gently, then punched Nexus in the face. It left a comical bump on his forehead.

Nexus jumped up, looking around wildly. When he realized what had happened, Nexus glared at Romeo.

"Was that nessary?"

"Yes." Romeo deadpanned.

I smiled at their antics and followed Kiyoshi off the train. As we walked back to the guild, my mind wondered to the crazy events of the past two days.

"Hey, I just realized, you don't have anywhere to stay, do you?"

I looked away, "I can find something."

"No. This is my fault."

Kiyoshi's voice was harsh and angry.

"Hey," I looked up at him, "it's okay, really. I've been I'n much worse situations."

The silver haired mage's green eyes were clouded with rage.

"You'll stay with me."

His tone was firm and decisive.

"What?!"

"I live in a two bedroom flat not far from the guild. You'll stay with me until we find you a place of your own."

"Uh- I don't know ab-"

"This is not a question. I brought you into this, so I'm responsible."

"Kiyoshi-"

"No arguments."

"... thank you."

We arrived at Kiyoshi's building and he led me to his flat. The door was made of strong oak, with a simple brass doorknob.

Kiyoshi opened it, revealing soft grey walls, with a simple steel coffee table. There were also a few steel chairs scattered around. I mentally face palmed, of COURSE his furniture is made of steel. He uses Steel Make! There was also a steel couch with rough looking cousins that seemed to be home sewn. A small kitchen was separated from the rest of the main room by a simple counter. All the appliances, were, obviously, steel.

"Let me show you your room."

Kiyoshi led me into one of three doors leading off of the main room. The walls were painted a bright green, and there was a soft, forest green carpet. The room had a simple steel dresser and a desk and chair in the far corner. The bed, however, was made of oak similar to the door, with a very soft looking mattress, and a large, pine green blanket.

"Do you like it?"

Kiyoshi's voice was barley audible.

I nodded, "it's beautiful."

Kiyoshi smiled, "I'm glad. W-would you like to shower first?"

I nodded again, "thank you."

"The center room is the bathroom, towels are in the cabinet..." with that, Kiyoshi wondered back into the main room.

I walked quietly into the bathroom and slipped out of my ratty, ripped up clothing and into the shower. The warm water washed over me, reeling the stress from the past few days. If you told me a week ago that I would be a member of Fairy Tail, and staying with a hot guy, I would have laughed in your face.

After a while, I stepped out and wrapped myself in a fluffy brown towel. I dried off quickly and changed back into my cloths, then I tied my hair up in the towel.

I walked back into the main room to find Kiyoshi sitting on the couch, lost in a thick book.

I cleared my throat.

Kiyoshi looked up and gave me a small smile.

"It's all yours."

"Alright," he replied, "if you want something to read, there's a bookshelf in my room. Your welcome to anything in the fridge."

"Thank you." I replied softly.

The silver haired man nodded, then walked into the bathroom. After a few moments I heard the water begin to run.

My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since the train ride to Onibus. I hurried over to the fridge and swung the door open.

My eyes flicked over the contence. A carton of eggs, gross. An uncooked steak, no. Then, I noticed a stack of leftover pancakes and a bottle of chocolate syrup. I licked my lips and took out the chocolate and two pancakes. I slid my cakes onto a steel plate and heated it in the oven. After it was finished I smothered them in chocolate and sat down at the counter. It took only minuets to devour the delicious food and clean up my mess.

I glanced around, my gaze falling onto Kiyoshi's door. I wonder if venturing in there is a good idea... Kiyoshi said I could, but then, that would be a huge breach of privacy. Could it be a test? Unfortunately, my curiosity won me over, and I found myself turning the knob.

The inside of Kiyoshi's room was painted black, with shaggy, white carpet. One corner held a weight set. There was also a desk and dresser similar to the ones in my room. I walked over to the dresser to take a closer look at the dresser. On top was a steel framed picture of a much younger Kiyoshi, along with a man and woman. The man was tall, taller than Kiyoshi is now, with silver hair reminiscent to my friend's, along with sparkling gold eyes. He was laughing and smiling happily. The woman stood grinning at his side, with long raven hair and green eyes almost identical to Kiyoshi's. Are those his parents? I wonder what happened to them...

I turned away and continued my inspection. His bed was huge, and looked just as soft as the one he'd given me. It had an enormous, fluffy, fuzzy, grey blanket spread neatly across it.

I sighed and moved on to the bookshelf. It was relatively small, but overflowing with books. It had quite a verity, school life, sports, adventure, and, gulp, romance? I scanned through them for a while, then settled on an adventure story. Then I walked back into the main room and sat down on the couch to read.

A small cough brought me out of the world of medieval knights, and back to reality. Kiyoshi stood in front of me, waring a beat up t-shirt and baggy sweat pants.

"I realized while I was in there that you probably want something better to wear." he said tentatively, and held out a small pile of clothing.

"Thanks."

Kiyoshi's expression darkened, "I didn't even give you a chance to pack, did I?"

"It's alright," I replied softly, "I didn't have anything TO pack."

Kiyoshi's expression darkened further, and a look of concern filled his green eyes.

"I would have been okay..."

"No," Kiyoshi shook his head, "it's a good thing I found you, Manami."

It felt strange to hear him say my name, and sort of... nice?

Kiyoshi sighed and sat down beside me, "why don't you go change?"

"Right." I nodded, then hurried into my room.

i leaned against the door for just a moment. Is this really happening?

I quickly changed into the soft black t-shirt and grey shorts, both of which were huge on me. Then I slid quietly back into the main room.

"Better?"

I nodded, "thank you."

"You don't have to thank me all the time."

I shook my head, "but you've already done so much for me, and, it's the polite thing to do."

Kiyoshi laughed, a wonderful deep sound.

"This is only the tip of the ice burgh, so don't worry about it!"

I blushed, and tried desperately tried to hide it. I sat down beside him and returned to the book I'd been reading. After a while, I felt eyes on me, so I glanced over at Kiyoshi.

"Can I help you?"

A small blush crossed his cheeks, but it faded just as quickly as it appeared.

"Uh, no. I just, finished my book, and got... bored."

I smiled, "what was it about?"

Kiyoshi's eyes lit up, and he went into an animated description of the adventure tale he'd been reading, gesturing wildly as he spoke. I laughed along happily, hoping he wouldn't realize I thought his erratic movements were more amusing than the story.

After he'd finished his narration, Kiyoshi looked out the window at he night sky.

"It's getting late, we should get to bed."

I made a pouty face, and tried not to laugh, "awe come on, five more minuets?"

"Now now, we've got a big day tomorrow." Kiyoshi chided with a smirk.

"Okay," I sighed, "goodnight!"

Then I trudged comically into my room.

I heard Kiyoshi softly call goodnight after me.

I smiled, then slipped into bad and stared up at the ceiling, going over the day's events. My thoughts wondered to Kiyoshi and a light blush covered my cheeks.

Oh come on Manami! Get it together! You met this guy two days ago!

Yet, as my eyes fluttered closed, a small smile spread across my face at the thought of the silver haired mage in the next room.

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**Well, here's chapter two! R&amp;R tell me what you think :)**

**~Sora~**


	3. Dark Armor

**Chapter 3: Dark Armor**

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**Disclaimer: Still don't own Fairy Tail**

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For a split second, I had absolutely no idea where I was. Then yesterday's events came rushing back, and a light blush covered my cheeks. I slid out of bed and ran a hand through my long, rust colored hair. Stumbling slightly, I made my way into the main room and sniffed the air. Foooooooood.

"Mornin' sleepy head." Kiyoshi greeted me from the stove with a crooked grin.

He wore an enormous, and silly looking, pink apron, with a huge blue heart in the center, and lace trimming the edges.

I giggled, "good morning Kiyoshi."

"Call me Yoshi, okay?"

"O-okay."

Kiyoshi continued cooking the bacon, which popped and sizzled appetizingly.

I took a seat at the count and watched Yoshi curiously. After a few minuets Yoshi pulled a pair of plates from the cabinet and stacked them with food. He set one in front of me and another across the counter, then hurried off to the fridge. He poured two glasses of orange juice, then returned to the counter. As soon as he'd placed both of our drinks safely down on the counter he sat himself and dug in. I giggled, then ate my own food, savoring the delicious tasting food.

"Alright!" Yoshi jumped up, "plan for today, groceries, clothes for you, and them maybe we'll go to the guild."

"But I don't have any-"

Yoshi shushed me, "I got it."

His voice was firm, and I had an idea that this would be yet another argument I lost, so I kept my mouth shut. I helped Yoshi wash the dishes, even though he assured me he didn't need any. Then we headed out, and pick up several ingredients for different dishes, and a few toiletries for me. Then Yoshi drug me to Magnolia's best clothing shop.

"Hello." a slender woman with raven hair and yellow eyes greeted us at the door, "welcome to Benica's Dress Express!"

"Erm- hello."

She smiled, "how can I be of help?"

"Well- I-"

"We're here to buy my friend here a few new outfits, and we would defiantly appreciate your help ma'am."

The raven haired woman smiled broadly, "follow me dear, I have the perfect thing for you!"

She led me through the shop to a small dressing room at the back, "go on in dear, I'll be right back. My name is Laona, by the way."

"Thank you, Laona." I gave her a small smile.

Laona hurried off, so I slipped into the dressing room and sat on a small wooden chair in the corner.

A moment later Laona returned with a bundle of clothing, "here, dear, try these on!"

I thanked her, then unfolded the bundle to find four outfits.

The firs set was a purple dress with darker, almost metallic, trim, a bow around the middle, and green sleeves that left my shoulders bare, but covered my fingertips. Along with that was a pair of matching green socks that went up past my knees, and tall, black, boots with the same trim as my dress. The next outfit was a plain black tank top with an open white button up, a pair of ripped jeans, and simple green flats. The third was a fancy dark purple dress with a huge pink bow on the side, along with a bow for my hair. The last outfit was a simple purple shirt that showed off my flat middle, a darker purple vest, a knee length green skirt, and a pair of black flats.

I decided to put the first outfit on, then gathered the others up into a bundle again. Then I slipped quietly out of the dressing room.

"Do you like them? do they fit well?" Laona asked excitedly the moment she saw me.

I nodded, "thank you."

"Come along, I'm sure your boyfriend will want to see you."

"Oh! He's not-"

Unfortunately, Laona had already disappeared to the front again.

I quietly walked up to Yoshi, looking anywhere but at him, my cheeks tinged pink.

"Beautiful." he smiled, "we'll buy all of them."

Laona nodded and smiled, "that'll be twenty-five thousand, seven hundred jewel."

Yoshi handed her the money without a second thought, and I had to marvel at that, I doubt I could afford one of these outfits.

"Are we done now?"

"Not quite." Yoshi smirked at me.

I sighed loudly, "your spending way to much on me."

"Nope." he replied, popping the p.

I huffed as he dragged me into a jewelry store.

"Pick something."

"No way!" I yelped, "clothes are one thing, but jewelry, this is to much!"

"Have you won this argument yet?"

I sighed and walked away, resigning myself to picking the least expensive thing I could find.

There were many beautiful things. A golden ring with a gentle woven pattern, but one glance at the price tag sent me on to the next table. As I looked around I came across something even I couldn't refuse. It was a neckless with a simple silver chain and a charm shaped like a book, with an emerald set in the middle of the cover. It was perfect.

I immediately picked it up and ran to Yoshi.

He chuckled at my enthusiasm, but asked the merchant how much. After Yoshi gave the man his jewel we headed out.

"Ready for lunch?"

I nodded happily, "yepp!"

Yoshi grinned and led me to the guild. As soon as we walked through the doors we were greeted by a tiny old man.

"So your the new girl Wendy's been telling me about. I'm Master Makarov, nice to meet cha!"

The tiny man stuck out his hand.

I shook it tentatively, "nice to meet you, Master."

The ninety-four year old man just smiled up at me. Then a loud crash drew his attention away. Natsu and Grey were at it again.

"Get out of my way Flame Brain!"

"You get out of MY way Stripper!"

The two men crashed together, one emitting heat and the other cold. A few feet away, Lucy and Juvia stood side by side. Lucy looked annoyed, and yelled something unintelligible, Juvia, however, was smiling and cheering Grey on.

Across the room Gajeel was standing protectively by Levy's side, giving the fighting men his signature glare.

I smiled to myself when Master stormed over and sat down at the bar, glowering.

"At this rate, I'll never be able to retire!"

Yoshi chuckled, and I laughed happily. We sat down at a nearby table and just watched everyone's crazy antics for a while. At some point, three mages I hadn't met walked through the doors. One was obviously older, mid- twenties perhaps? He was tall with long green hair, that had a couple weird lightning bolt looking strands at the top. The other two were girls about my age, one with long brown hair and blue eyes, and the other with short pink hair and purple hair. They were also dressed very differently, the man wore classic gentlemanly clothes, the brown haired girl had on a pink dress covered in bows, and the pink haired girl had on a leather jacket, orange tank top, and baggy green pants. She also wore an orange and black headband.

"Who's that?"

Yoshi smiled, "why don't you go find out?"

I blinked at him, "no way!"

"Oh come on, I promise I got your back!"

"I don't know..."

"These people are your family now, there's no reason to be afraid!"

"A-alright."

I got up and slowly walked over to where the three of them stood at the bar. The man was deep in conversation with Mira, and the pink haired girl smiled evilly at his back.

"H-hello?"

The two girls turned, however, the man didn't seem to notice.

"Hi there!" the girl in the pink dress greeted me, "I'm Aki Chou, nice to meet you! What's your name?"

"I'm Manami Takara. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Hoshi Kaito." the pink haired girl offered in a much more reserved way.

"Hello."

I looked down at the ground awkwardly, meeting people is not exactly something I'm used to after all those years of hiding in shadows and being ignored.

"This is my master, Freed!" Hoshi added, hearts popping into her eyes.

"Here we go." Aki muttered.

"He's so cool! Freed uses Dark Écriture and Rune Magic, and now he's teaching me! I came here to Fairy Tail just so I could meet him! Actually... we just returned from our last mission together. Freed says I'm strong enough to train on my own now."

This girl sure can talk...

Aki cringed, "she's not usually like this, but Hoshi gets all fired up every time someone mentions Freed."

I glanced over at the green haired mage. He was still talking to Mira, with a calm smile gracing his regal features. Mira blushed at something he said, which made Freed smirk. He took the white haired mage's hand and kissed it in farewell, then disappeared into the crowd.

Hoshi's eyes sparkled dramatically, "any day now."

"She is also seriously ships Fremi." Aki sighed.

I laughed a little at that. Then I turned to walk away, but Aki grabbed my hand.

"Hey, hold on a minuet."

I turned back so I could see her.

"Your new."

It wasn't a question.

"Yeah?"

"Ah- well, your going to need some friends. I-I mean, obviously everyone here are friends- but I-... ug."

I laughed, "okay, lets be friends. Come sit with me."

Aki lit up, "Really?"

I shrugged, "why not. Since we're friends now I want to get to know you."

This brought Hoshi back from Fremi land. She smiled broadly and high fived Aki.

"We're relatively new ourselves," Hoshi explained, "Aki and I both joined about six months ago and we don't have any really close friends besides each other."

I nodded in understanding, "Well, come on then."

I led them back to the table where Yoshi and I and been sitting.

"I see your meeting went well."

"K-kiyoshi?"

"Wow, you must be special!" Aki exclaimed.

I looked at them curiously. For all of Yoshi's talk about family, he seemed to keep to himself. As far as I've seen, the only one who doesn't act weird around him is Mira. The mages close to his age seemed to fear him, or were at least wary, and all the older ones gave him sad, knowing looks.

I shook my head, Yoshi's past was his alone, I knew all to well about that...

"So, I know from what you said before what magic you use, Hoshi, but what about you Aki?"

The brunett smiled, "I use Rainbow Fire, like Romeo. Actually, he convinced me to join when we trained together under Totomaru."

"No way!"

"Yepp." she replied happily.

We continued chatting about this and that for a while. I discovered that Hoshi and Aki call their team Dark Armor, and that they are both sixteen. Eventually Lucy and Natsu's little boy wondered over.

"Hey Nashi." Aki greeted him happily.

"Hey-o Ak. Who's dis?"

"This is Manami."

"M-mani-?"

"Close enough." I giggled.

Nashi grinned at me, a huge smile reminiscent of his father's. Then he walked over to the twin's corner.

"Hi-o Gal, Sto."

"Yo." the boy replied gruffly.

"I!" the girl greeted him with a huge smile.

The boy's hair was short and spiky like his father's, but blue, and his eyes were aqua colored. The girl's hair was long and wavy, but black, with icy blue eyes.

"Those three are adorable!" Aki gushed, "Gray's little boy's name is Storm, and his sister is Gale."

I smiled and watched them play for a while. Nashi lit a small flame at the tip of his finger. Storm glared at him and put it out with a splash of water from his palm. Nashi scowled and relit his finger. Storm put it out again. Before Nashi could light a third flame a gust of wind momentarily lifted both boys off the ground. Gale narrowed her eyes, and the boys stopped fighting immediately.

I grinned, "how cute!"

The door banged open, and a little girl with red hair ran in.

"Rina, come back!"

A disgruntled looking Jallal came running after her, his hair sticking out at weird angles, and his clothes rumpled. Erza followed a moment after, looking calm and collected as ever. Rina immediately ran over to the other young mages.

"Hello guys, I missed you!"

"Hey-o Rina."

"Yo."

"I! Gale missed you two Rina!"

Nish ran over and hugged the rad head, "I'm glad you feel beta Rina!"

I laughed, then turned my attention to the table where the four children's parents, along with Gajeel and Levy, sat. Gray and Natsu were hugging each other and looking terrified, while Erza, Lucy, and Juvia chatted amiably. Jallal was snoring with his head on the table. Gajeel and Levy were talking quietly, their eyes sincere and focused only on each other.

"I gotta head home and feed Thorn."

Hoshi's declaration broke me from my musings.

"Who's Thorn?"

"My Venus Fly Trap."

Hoshi grinned, then she and Aki disappeared out the doors.

"Well that was... interesting." Yoshi mused, "we should head home too."

I nodded, then we walked out of the guild together.

"Want to pick up some food on the way home?"

I grinned, "sounds good!"

* * *

Twenty minuets later we sat at the counter in Yoshi's house, enjoying some of the most amazing pizza I've had in my life.

"You plan on taking any jobs soon?"

I looked up from my pepperoni, "I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well, don't worry about it, okay? I'll take care of you here, and there's lots of fun stuff to do at the guild. We have a pool, and a game room-"

"I'm going to take a job tomorrow." I said decisively, "I can't just spend all your Jewel!"

"Really Mani-"

"No. I'm putting my foot down this time!"

Yoshi sighed, "fine... but, don't take anything dangerous, okay?"

"Alright."

* * *

We walked into the guild hall and split ways. Yoshi headed for the bar, he'd unusually quiet today, but I guess he's just tired. We did get up pretty early. I walked over to the request bird and reached for a non-dangerous looking job. It was a request to track down some rare flower that only grew in the swamp. As I reached out to grab it another person took hold at the same time. I glanced over.

"Oh, hey Aki."

She grinned, "hey! I was wanting to ask you to come along anyway, so this is perfect!"

"I don't know Aki.."

"Oh, come on, It'll be fun! Three girls sloshing through gross swamp water, what could go wrong?"

I giggled, "well, okay."

"Yes!" Aki fist pumped, "Dark Armor plus Manami will find the wonderfully rare Kaljeo flower!"

* * *

**AN: Hey there! Sorry about the wait! I've had this written for a while, but I have a hard time finding the motivation to type it, so I'm soooo sorry about that! However, I hope to be updating a lot faster now that summer is coming up^^. Maybe a nice little review will coax me along through the chapter? I love to hear from you!**

**~Sora~**


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